I May Look Weak But I Am Strong
by ShadowAbsol13
Summary: Jessie was never one to admit that she was weak. But sometimes, there was nothing else she could do.


**Oh my goodness gracious! My 30th post already! So exciting!**

**Enjoy!**

...

I am strong because I am weak. I'm beautiful because I know my flaws. I'm a lover because I am a fighter. I'm fearless because I have been afraid. I'm wise because I have been foolish. & I can laugh because I have known sadness.

-Facebook member/Professions for Peace

...

Jessie's POV

The world was dead. The world was dead and cold in her eyes. And in sound. She wasn't even sure if she existed anymore. Somehow, her brain could still control her limbs but how it was still doing that she would never know. Her left leg, however, couldn't move and wasn't going anywhere. The only real proof that she wasn't dead was the pain that erupted in that limb. She slowly brought her fingers up to her eyes, and the result sickened her. Her hand came away, warm and wet, from her still open eyes. She felt to make sure her throat was still there, and screamed. She couldn't hear herself scream, which is one of the most terrifying experiences a human can ever endure. She scraped the ground desperately with her fingers, hoping to pull herself free from whatever was on her leg. She screeched as loud as her vocal chords could handle. Suddenly she felt vibrations under her hands and she stopped.

Something or someone grabbed her left hand. She felt it. It was certainly a human hand. She reached out into the air in front of her, desperate to know who it was. The stranger took her right hand and put it on its face. She felt the stranger's features frantically. A wave of calm and relief washed over her as she used what was left of her voice to croak, "James?"

James took her hand and put it on his head and he nodded. Jessie smiled weakly. But it was quickly dissolved into a tired and frightened look. "Help me," she tried to say. James stroked her hand, which she took as a sign that everything would be just fine.

Moments later, she felt the pressure lifted from her leg. She gasped at the amount of pain that took its place. She tried to crawl closer to James, clutching his sleeve. She successfully crawled into James' arms and he held her as she sobbed and wailed.

Suddenly a different pair of hands grabbed her and she panicked. She gasped and frantically felt around for James, crying out for him. His hand grabbed hers as she was set down on something. The stress of everything was taking its toll. Her head lolled to one side. Slowly, her eyes began to shut.

...

James' POV

They had been walking past a cliff. That's all. No big deal. Well, there was that, and the fact that Jessie had walked ahead a bit while James and Meowth were resting and had accidentally stumbled upon the twerps. The stupid kid sent out his Muk and had it use explosion. Not only had it severely injured Jessie, but an avalanche started and trapped her leg. The twerps got away from it fast enough, unfortunately. James and Meowth heard the explosion and ran as fast as they could. On the way, James called Mondo and told him that Jessie was trapped and to bring a group of agents and the medics.

James and Meowth started searching for her, calling her name. Suddenly they heard a piercing scream that undoubtably belonged to Jessie. At that moment, Mondo arrived with a big group of Team Rocket workers. Another shriek sliced through the air. James raced over to the other side of the rocks, and saw a limp body lying on the ground, hands clenched, leg trapped beneath a rock.

"Jess," he called out. "Jess are you okay?" Tears began to roll down his face as he saw that she was alive, visibly shaking, and couldn't hear him.

He grabbed her hand and held it comfortingly. Her head jerked, and her other arm waved about wildly. She grasped the air, trying to find something. James understood what she was doing and put her hand on his face. She felt over his face eagerly, and opened her mouth, and the sound that came out was so horrible and grating it could barely be excused as a voice. "James?" She rasped.

Remembering what to do when a person was is such a condition, he took her hand and placed it on the side of his head, nodding. He let loose a sob at the sight of the gentle smile on her bloodied face. Then she visibly drooped, exhaustion taking over. "H-help me," she croaked in a monotone voice. Even though she couldn't hear him, he whispered, "Don't worry, you'll be okay." He began to stroke her hand gently.

Mondo called out, "Okay, we're gonna try to lift the rock off of her okay? James, we're gonna need you to keep her calm and relaxed so she doesn't hurt herself. Okay?"

James nodded. With a great amount of effort, the rock was lifted from her leg. A calm settled over her, then was replaced by a grimace of pain. She clutched his sleeve and dragged herself forward. He pulled her gently into his arms as she sobbed. He wept with her and stroked her hair. "It's okay now," he kept saying, "it'll be alright."

A medic came over to him. "I'm gonna have to put her in the ambulance," he said simply. James nodded and the medic picked her up. Jessie jerked violently, a panicked and petrified look on her face, gave a strangled cry, a reached out her arms, grasping the air, like a child whose doll was taken from it. The medic shot James a look. James grabbed her hand and she immediately relaxed. They laid her down in the ambulance and began checking her vital signs when her head lolled to the side. Her eyes shut slowly.

James' heart stopped. "No, no Jessie. You have to stay awake, okay?" He rubbed her hand and her eyes opened a bit wider. But it was no use. She was too exhausted. Her bloodied eyes shut as she fell into a deep sleep.

...

The silence in the dismal place was shattered only by the dull beep of a heart monitor. Gray light filtered through the windows. The perfect white walls had faded from their cold color to an even worse, broken shade.

James sat beside Jessie in the hospital. He rarely left her side. He always stayed there, waiting for her to wake up. If she didn't, he didn't know what he would do. If he could even go on living or not.

James shut his eyes tightly and held her hand against his forehead. "Jessie," he started, "since I don't know if you'll be deaf for the rest of your life or if you can hear me now or anything, I figured this was the best time to say this. Just so even though you can't hear my voice, you'll always know. I love you. Yes. Truly. And I always have, ever since we met. You may have a bad temper but you're so beautiful and you try so hard each and every day to become a great Pokémon coordinator. I love the sound of your voice, even if its used to yell at me most of the time. I hope, and wish, with all of my being, that you'll wake up and you'll be okay because if you don't, I don't think I'll be able to live without you. And even if I live and I don't kill myself, I'll probably lose my mind. You are my life, Jessie, and I couldn't bear to spend one more day without you by my side. Please. Wake up. I love you." James sobbed into her hand. He looked up at Jessie and froze.

She was awake.

Her eyes were filled with tears and her other hand was covering her smiling mouth. She gasped. "Oh, James," she said, tears staining her cheeks. "I-I love you t-too."

Jessie grabbed James' arm and pulled him into a kiss. His heart burst with love and joy. He wished he could stay like this forever, just the two of them, confessing their love to each other, caught in this kiss. But sadly, they needed air.

James pulled away and smiled, but his face fell when his eyes fell on hers.

They weren't looking at him.

She still couldn't see.

A knock sounded on the door. A young doctor with ruffled brown hair stood in the doorway, smiling. "So you're awake!" He exclaimed, chuckling. "It's about time; we were getting worried! Especially him," he said, gesturing to a blushing James.

Jessie laughed. "W-well I'm sorry f-for inconveniencing you," she stuttered, obviously frustrated at her inability to articulate.

The doctor seemed bothered by this, but hid it quickly. He smiled. "I am Doctor Collins, but you can just call me Collie." He held out his hand and Jessie shook it, with some difficulty, as James had to put her hand in his. Collie frowned. "Can I look at your eyes one moment?"

Jessie frowned, startled. "Sure."

Collie took a flashlight from his pocket and shined it in her eyes. He turned it off, walked to a computer, and began studying a file. He suddenly switched off the computer.

He said absentmindedly, "Excuse us one moment, will you Jessie? I need to step into the hall and speak with your boyfriend."

Jessie blushed. "I-it's fine."

James stepped into the hallway, shutting the door behind him. "What's troubling you?"

Doctor Collie sighed. "Well," he began, "there's been significant nerve damage to brain nerve centers, specifically, speech and sight."

James frowned, confused. "So..."

"I'm not going to sugarcoat it. Jessie will never be able to see again. And she will also have trouble forming words properly. And she's going to need your help," he added, his expression grim but determined.

James stood, shocked to say the least, letting the words sink in. Jessie would never see again. She would never be the same again.

"The loss of hearing was only temporary," the doctor continued. "Still, she's going to need a great amount of assistance if she's to deal with this dilemma. She can't do it alone."

James nodded. "I can help her."

The doctor grinned. "I was hoping you would say that."

Doctor Collie wandered off. James took a deep breath and stepped back in the room. He put on a false smile, then remembered she could see him. He sat down beside her and she smiled. "S-so James," she said warily, "wh-what did the doc-tor want?"

James sighed. There was no easy way to put this.

"You're permanently blind."

...

Jessie's POV

"And you may not speak as well as you used to," James added, and the damage was already done.

Jessie sat in shock. She would never be able to see again. Never see a sunset. Or a rainbow. Or James. She burst into tears.

James put his arm around her. "Shh, it'll be alright Jessie, please don't cry." He stroked her arm and she could just picture his cute and innocent smile. "I'll be here for you."

...

A few days later, the doctor entered again, this time speaking to them both. "Now Jessie, I don't know if you've noticed, but your leg is...crippled."

Jessie winced. Her leg was twisted and she could no longer feel or control it. She nodded.

Doctor Collie continued and told her that a nurse would come in every day and help reteach her how to walk, with a cane. Jessie winced again at the word 'cane'. "It m-makes me feel l-like an ol-ld lady," she explained.

Doctor Collie laughed. "Don't worry. It's not as bad as it sounds." He left the room.

Jessie bore a determined look on her face. "Even th-though I am w-weak," she declared solemnly, "I w-will always be s-strong."

...

As it turns out, during rehab, Jessie was able to regain stability to her voice. She simply didn't have the strength, mental or physical. That she was thrilled about.

She had been working her legs a bit, always while sitting. Today, she was going to stand.

James took her hand. "You gonna be okay?" He asked. Jessie nodded resolutely. Today was the day. She was going to walk today.

The nurse, who went by Sadie, stood to one side. "Ready, honey?" She asked, smiling. Jess nodded again. James grabbed her arms gently and let her brace herself. He slowly pulled her up until she was sure she was stable. She took a deep breath and loosened her grip on James. She stayed standing. Jessie grinned. She tried to take a step forward-

-and crumpled.

"Jess!" James shouted. He kneeled beside her. "Are you okay?"

Jessie nodded. "I'm fine," she said, grinning fiercely. "I can do this. Just gotta keep trying. That's all."

...

James's POV

James sat on his feet. This was not right. Jessie was never this cheerful and kind. Ever. What was wrong?

"Why are you doing this?" He blurted.

"What?" Jessie asked, startled.

"You keep acting all jolly as a Jellicent, but that's just not you. What's up?"

Jessie's lip quivered. She buried her head in her hands and sobbed. "I was such a horrible, mean, bossy person," she choked, "and this is my punishment for all of that."

James squeezed her hand. "No, Jessie, you are a wonderful, perfect person and you didn't deserve this. Don't ever let yourself think that."

Jessie smiled softly. "Thank you," she mumbled.

"So are you ready to try again?" James asked eagerly.

Jess nodded. "Bring it on!"

"And don't forget," James added, "you can complain all you want!"

Jessie laughed. She grabbed James's hand and pulled herself, wobbly, to her feet. She braced herself, lifted her foot, and-

-began to walk.

She wept with joy. James spun her around and kissed her.

She was going to recover.

...

Jessie's POV

Jessie had begun to recover and could walk completely fine. Regardless, they had her use a cane-excuse me; WALKING STICK-when she went for walks.

Every day, James had started taking her on outings. They would walk through the streets of Goldenrod(in normal clothes of course) or walk down to the Pokémon daycare. She came so often, Jewel, the lady who runs the daycare, let her pet the young bunearies and skitties that were newly hatched. That always brought a smile to her face.

This time, they went for a stroll along the west side of town, near the tunnels. They were walking along fine. Since they had been in town a while, they got to know people and made some friends. So on that particular day, Roddy, a magnet train worker, came up to chat with James.

Jessie let go of James's arm and clasped her hands in front of her. It pleased her when James made friends.

Suddenly a hand covered her mouth, another grabbing her around the waist and dragging her into a tunnel, holding her against the wall.

A voice, sickeningly sweet, crept into her ear. "Don't worry, sweetheart, we don't want to hurt you."

Jessie squirmed in response and she heard several men laughing. "Feisty one, she is," she heard amongst the chuckling.

Suddenly she heard a bang and a smack and she crumpled limply to the ground. A hand grasped her arm and she screamed, tears pouring down her face. "Let me go!" She screeched. "Leave me alone!"

Another hand stroked her hair. "Sh, sh! It's okay, Jessie! It's just James."

Jessie relaxed and buried her face in his shirt. "I won't ever let go of you. Never again."

...

James's POV

A few weeks later, the previous instance behind them, Jessie and James went for another walk.

"Doesn't it feel great out today?" Jessie asked as they passed the department store.

James nodded. "Certainly."

Suddenly they heard a shout. "Is that Jessie and James?!"

James turned to look-

-and saw the twerps.

James gasped and stepped in front of Jessie. "Stay behind me," he whispered.

Ash, Misty, and Brock stormed up to them.

"What are you guys doing here?" Ash shouted. Pikachu glared. "Pika pika!" He growled, agreeing.

James was about to respond when Misty tapped Ash's shoulder. "Ash, stop," she whispered, catching his attention.

"What?" Ash asked, irritated.

Misty's eyes softened. "Look at Jessie. Why is she hiding?"

Ash frowned. He was speechless.

James opened his mouth to answer, but winced and shut his eyes when Jessie peered into space from over his shoulder, wanting to make herself known to the strangers. "Who is it, James?"

...

Misty's POV

Misty put her hand over her mouth. "Oh dear God," she gasped, tears starting to roll down her cheeks. "Is she blind?"

Jessie stepped from behind James. "I am, Misty," she replied, kind but resolute. "But that doesn't make me any different."

Misty touched her hand, but jerked away when she flinched. "How did it happen?" Misty asked.

...

Jessie's POV

Jessie's lips tightened. "The explosion," she replied, and that was all that needed to be said. Misty broke out in sobs.

"Dear God, I am so sorry this happened to you. It's all our fault!"

Jessie smiled sympathetically and opened her arms. She was greeted with a hug from a sobbing girl. "It's okay," Jessie murmured. "All's forgiven."

Misty stammered, "But it's our fault you've been blinded for the rest of your life!"

Jessie sighed. "Yes, but that is my fate, and if that's what I'm supposed to be like, then it's okay. Because if you hold on to the past instead of looking to the future, you're going to fall. And I am never going to fall.

"Because I may look weak, but I will always be strong."


End file.
